Domestic or urban bee keeping is growing in popularity around in around the world. Some experts claim that domestic bee keeping is an effective strategy to counter the 'colony collapse disorder' witnessed in many bee populations around the world.
My father became a bee keeper several years ago. He now has four hives in Orem, Utah and he keeps them in the backyard. He started out with one queen bee and her colony.
During the first summer, his first colony 'swarmed' and created another queen bee. Each passing summer, the colonies may swarm and create a new queen. The new queens cannot live in the same hive as the existing queens and their respective colonies. So, my father has to build separate 'boxes' or hives. If my dad does not build new, empty bee hives, before a colony swarms, the new queens will fly away and find a tree or man-made structure to make a typical looking hive (like the kind Winnie the Pooh looks for to eat honey).
Aaron
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Aaron, your are exactly right! There can only bee one queen per hive! Colleen
ReplyDeleteAaron -
ReplyDeleteDid you ever get a chance to help your Dad care for the hives? I think I would have been terrified to be in the suit with bees everywhere!
Kari
I never knew why bees would swarm. This past school year we had a colony of bees swarm to our tree just outside the main entrance and bus zone. We had to call the animal control to come get the bees and put them in a safe place. Now I know why they swarmed.
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